Foreign doctors in Saxony - Leftists call for faster recognition of foreign doctors
The Left Party demands faster procedures for the recognition of foreign doctors. Party leader Susanne Schaper points out that significantly fewer applications have been approved in recent years than in previous years. "In the last two years, significantly more doctors have applied to practice here. This is likely also due to the war in Ukraine. However, only a small proportion of these applications have been approved so far," Schaper told the German Press Agency in Dresden. Apparently, the capacities in the responsible authorities were not sufficient.
Schaper: Without foreign staff, clinics are threatened
"Therefore, doctors are unnecessarily waiting, which is also bad for the patients," emphasized Schaper, who is a trained nurse herself. There are already more than 3,200 doctors with a migration background in Saxony, which corresponds to more than 15 percent. "Many clinics, especially in Southwest Saxony and Lusatia, would have to close without foreign staff.
We must do everything to accelerate the recognition procedures." This requires more staff and simpler processes. The Free State should commission an interdisciplinary team of experts to find solutions.
Doctors from 106 nations in Saxony
According to statistics, there are currently 3,278 foreign doctors from 106 nations registered with the Saxon State Chamber of Physicians. The majority of them come from Syria (416), the Czech Republic (415), Poland (275), Slovakia (238), Russia (182), Romania (175), the Ukraine (160), and Bulgaria (96). A total of 3,055 foreign doctors are professionally active.
The issue of health also plays a major role in the Saxon election campaign. Health Minister Petra Köpping (SPD) has repeatedly advocated, like the Left Party, to maintain all 76 hospitals in the Free State. In the 1990s, there were still 130 hospitals. New elections for the Saxon state parliament will take place on September 1.
In Dresden, Schaper highlighted the importance of foreign doctors for clinics, stating that many in Southwest Saxony and Lusatia would have to close without them. Furthermore, the Left Party advocate for faster recognition procedures for doctors from 106 nations, including Ukraine, who are currently registered and actively working in Saxony.
